Laravel MongoDB Integration

MongoDB's flexible schema suits certain use cases. Laravel supports MongoDB through Eloquent, enabling NoSQL benefits with familiar syntax. At ZIRA Software, hybrid architectures leverage both MySQL and MongoDB strategically.

Installation

composer require mongodb/laravel-mongodb

Configure connection:

// config/database.php
'mongodb' => [
    'driver' => 'mongodb',
    'host' => env('MONGODB_HOST', '127.0.0.1'),
    'port' => env('MONGODB_PORT', 27017),
    'database' => env('MONGODB_DATABASE', 'homestead'),
    'username' => env('MONGODB_USERNAME', ''),
    'password' => env('MONGODB_PASSWORD', ''),
],

Models

use MongoDB\Laravel\Eloquent\Model;

class Post extends Model
{
    protected $connection = 'mongodb';
    protected $collection = 'posts';
    
    protected $fillable = ['title', 'content', 'metadata'];
}

Usage

// Same as Eloquent
$post = Post::create([
    'title' => 'MongoDB with Laravel',
    'content' => 'Content here',
    'metadata' => [
        'tags' => ['laravel', 'mongodb'],
        'views' => 0,
    ],
]);

// Query embedded documents
$posts = Post::where('metadata.tags', 'laravel')->get();

Hybrid Architecture

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    protected $connection = 'mysql';  // Users in MySQL
}

class Activity extends Model
{
    protected $connection = 'mongodb';  // Activity logs in MongoDB
}

Conclusion

MongoDB complements Laravel when flexibility matters. Use strategically for document storage and flexible schemas.

Considering MongoDB for your application? Contact ZIRA Software for database architecture consultation.